Runnin' Down a Dream (How to Thrive in a Career You Actually Love)

An unconventional, no-bullshit guide to forging a rewarding career that actually maps onto the things you care about in the world—a dream job where “the hustle doesn’t feel like hustle”—from a leading venture capitalist, based on his viral college talk

Today, Bill Gurley is known for his successful investments in companies like Uber. But before he found his dream job in venture capital, Gurley came close to falling into a trap that affects millions: “career regret.” Family pressure and a broken education system push too many young people onto a conveyer belt where the destination is a small subset of idealized “safe” jobs. But, as new research by Gurley and the Wharton School of Business shows, 6 in 10 people are likely to regret their career choice years down the road.

Humans spend an estimated 80,000 hours of their lives at work. Shouldn’t that time be spent doing something you love? How can you avoid the trap of career regret?

For the past two decades, Gurley has observed people who have climbed to the top in fields ranging from technology to hospitality to entertainment—and who radiate joy in their chosen field. Why did they thrive while others floundered? Is there a formula to finding your dream job?

In Runnin’ Down a Dream, Gurley breaks down the components of success, identifying six key tenets that will set young people up for flourishing, purpose-filled careers:

1. Chase Your Curiosity
2. Hone Your Craft
3. Develop Mentors in Your Field
4. Embrace Your Peers
5. Go Where the Action Is
6. Always Give Back

These, Gurley contends, are the timeless ingredients for success. In this book, he brings them to life—through his own captivating, straight-talk voice and revealing stories of a handful of iconic individuals who epitomize them.

“Life,” as Gurley’s writes, “is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition.” A much-needed corrective to talk of “lazy jobs” and “quiet quitting,” this book will inspire a new generation to step off the conveyer belt, find the things that make them insatiably curious, and turn those fascinations into a thriving career—where the work doesn’t feel like work at all.

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